Site Details

Site Description

On the upland margin (440m ASL), above and to west of Abersychan, is located a rifle range. Depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25-inch plan is a firing line of approximately 900 yards at the south-east end of which is a rectangular structure annotated 'butt' and nearby a small shelter or matelet. The site however, is described as 'Old Rifle Range'. The butt was probably a 15m long bank, as suggested by later map editions. Firing positions are not shown. The range had possibly closed down in favour of the another near Pontypool (NPRN 420200).
Local newspapers refer to the range as early as 1863 as a venue for competitions. The land on which the range lies is open access but is close to the site of Cwmbyrgwm Colliery. It may therefore have been subject to grading and reclamation though it is not clear if the butt and mantelet have survived.